“Yowzers,” writes Stewart Smith in The Wire 497, “is a gift of an album... Ben LaMar Gay’s most cohesive work to date, while losing none of its predecessors’ spirit of adventure.”

To complement the review, the Chicago composer, improvisor, and instrumentalist has curated a Wire playlist, which he describes as “a mix between my personal friends and my personal dreams. Thankfully, my friends have become my dreams, and my dreams have come within reach because of my friends.”

Tracklist

Art Ensemble Of Chicago “Jamaican Farewell, Part 1”
The Crossing & Donald Nally “Shift: No1, Refrain”
Nana Vasconcelas “Ondas”
Rosine Nyiranshimiyimana “Umwana W’umuhanda”
Abdou El Omari & Naima Samih “Twahachna Klamak”
Art Ensemble Of Chicago “Saturday Morning”
Danyél Waro “Tanbi”
Rob Frye “Inner Cosmos”
Maria Berado “Guma”
Liv.e “Heart Break Escape”
Thandi Ntuli featuring Carlos Niño “Sunset (in California)”
Negro Leo “Dutch West India Company”
Hieroglyphic Being “The Tone Bather”
Ata Kak “Yemmpa Aba”
KVL “Pink Void”
Jayve Montgomery “Some Folks’ Heaven Is Breath”
DJ Rashad featuring DJ Spinn “Let U No”
Bex Burch “Pardieu”
Nicole Mitchell “Washing Ritual”
Quartabê “Canto De Nanã”
Matchess “The Wind”
Bitchin Bajas “Marimba”
Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer “Mean Solar Time”
Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercereau & Carlos Niño “Inner-connectednesses...”
Radio Diaspora “AHM Al-Shabazz 1”
Junius Paul “You Are Free To Choose”
Marvin Tate “The Family Swim”
Angel Bat Dawid “Voice O’ Heab’N”
Damon Locks “The Signal Is Hot”
Robert Loyson “Chatte Tete Rate”
Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood Of Breath “Mra”
Ibukun Sunday “Last Earth”
Johnny Dyani “Ntyilo, Ntyilo”